Although U.S. retail sales of herbal supplements reach into the billions each year, very little of these profits are from the sale of Chinese or East Asian herbs. This is due to the perception of quality—as such herbal medicine providers must show that their herbs are trustworthy.
To aid in this change, the NCCAOM Chinese Herbal Safe Compounding and Dispensing Taskforce has created a voluntary program, the Certificate of Qualification.
The course subject matter will be based on the FDA cGMP and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) herbal safety white paper, which was released last year. Features of this new program include the following:
Tracking sources and lot numbers for all granule and raw herbs. (According to FDA cGMPs, individual practitioners are personally liable for herbal prescriptions. One should know where their herbs come from and the quality control taken by the suppliers.)
Ensuring that AOM practitioners fully understand the FDA, cGMP regulations and best practice standards to avoid any potential adverse effects and harm to patients.
Proper labeling of all custom formulas: all ingredients and amount per dose, patient and practitioner name, herb compounding date.
The objective in creating this Certificate of Qualification program is to garner the public's support of the AOM professional, and to demonstrate accountability and responsibility for patient safety.
The NCCAOM provides additional details regarding this new program in our upcoming June issue.
After a thorough examination to rule out the cervical and thoracic spine, what you have left is sharp, localized qi stagnation of the soft tissues causing the “rhomboid pain.” If it’s not the C or T spine causing the problem, then what could be causing this tissue issue? It can be a bunch of different reasons such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, poor posture, muscle imbalances, trauma, deconditioning, overuse, etc.
Christopher Chapleau, DAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac., AIT, IMT, MSHP, CES, HMS
The patterns expressed under the umbrella of a GERD diagnosis typically include various combinations of liver qi stagnation (potentially with depressive heat), spleen qi deficiency, rebellious stomach qi, stomach fire, food stagnation, and stomach yin deficiency. In long-term cases of GERD, it is not uncommon for three to four patterns to overlap at the same time.
As licensed acupuncturists with the ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat using a variety of modalities, including herbal medicine, we are entrusted with a high level of clinical responsibility. Yet in an age of professional forums, online groups and social media communities, there is a growing trend of practitioners asking for case-specific treatment advice instead of referring the patient in question to a trusted colleague.
